


Understanding

by SoloShikigami



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Horrortale Papyrus (Undertale), Horrortale Sans (Undertale), M/M, Scratching, Self-Harm, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:35:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23879275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoloShikigami/pseuds/SoloShikigami
Summary: The Underground of Horrortale was a terrible place to live, and even after they are out of that environment, it seems Sans is still haunted by that place.
Relationships: Papyrus/Sans (Undertale)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 34





	Understanding

**Author's Note:**

> TW for suicide attempt - is not the focus of the story, but the knife is on the ground and it's questioned.

The sounds of crying weren’t new in the Underground. It had gone from a place of love and hope to one of desolation, tragedy, and despair. Cries of hunger and grief were quite common.

But not from his brother’s room.

Especially when they were no longer in the Underground.

A human child had come and saved the few monsters that were left. They all lived in a bit of a sanctuary on the surface; protected from humans who would prefer to see them all dusted, but accessible to those who wished to help. Regular food deliveries and various health care workers came in to do their best with the monsters, from mental healing, setting broken and cracked bones, and even giving monsters like Papyrus braces to try to straighten teeth crooked by years of neglect.

Papyrus was usually the one to openly cry, in fact, he barely ever remembered his brother ever shedding a tear over anything; why was he crying now?

“Sans? Are you okay?” Papyrus asked, lisping a little due to the braces, knocking on the door lightly as he pushed it open.

What he saw made him gasp.

His brother was sitting on the edge of the two lumpy mattresses that, to Papyrus’ dismay, he called a bed. His hands were scratching at his skull, red magic leaking from the massive hole in it as tears leaked from his eyes, and a sharp knife lying on the floor between his feet.

“Sans! What is going on here?” Papyrus cried out, voice filled with worry and fear as he threw the door wide open.

“P-papyrus,” Sans stammered, glancing up. “I, I’m s-so s-s-s-sorry, I’m so horrid, ple-please, just, just leave me.”

Sans buried his face in his hands, shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

“I most certainly will do no such thing!”

Papyrus glanced around the room, grimacing slightly as he picked up a towel lying on the floor and moving to his brother. He hesitated slightly, eyes on the knife, knowing already what was at least partially bothering Sans, and carefully nudging it away with his foot before kneeling in front of Sans.

“Please, brother, don’t do this,” Papyrus murmured, using one end of the towel to start gently cleaning around the brutal injury. “It’s okay, I’m here.”

Once the wound was mostly clean, Papyrus began to coax Sans’ hands away from his face, wiping away the tracks of tears. Sans stared at him blankly.

“W-why do you keep d-doing this?” Sans asked.

“Doing what?”

Sans gripped his wrists, forcing the thin skeleton to look him in the eyes.

“Why do you stay here with such a horrible monster? You are so…” Sans looked down with a sigh. “You can do so much better, why do you bother?”

Papyrus sighed, shaking his head before wiping away one last tear, dropping the towel in favor of cradling the face of his brother, smiling.

“Because I love you, Sans,” Papyrus murmured, leaning in to kiss the side of his mouth gently. “Because I don’t care what this “better” is, I think you’re the best.”

Papyrus pressed a few more gentle kisses around Sans’ face, shuffling in closer as his older brother’s hands slid from his wrists, up his arms, to his shoulders.

“C’mon, you don’t mean that, Sugar,” Sans said, using the nickname he had given his brother for his sweet nature, despite the horrors they faced.

“I mean what I say always.”

“What the hell did I do to deserve such a sweetheart like you?”

“You need a cool skeleton like me around to take care of you!”

“Oh?” Sans slowly grinned and wrapped his arms around his brother, pulling him in close. “And who is going to take care of you?”

He bent to gently kiss Papyrus’ neck, making him giggle and shiver pleasantly.

“Nyeh, heh, heh, you, hopefully,” Papyrus giggled, leaning in to press more kisses to Sans’ face.

“Oh, I’ll take care of you all right,” Sans murmured, sitting up and back, pulling Papyrus into his lap.

Their mouths met in a slow and gentle kiss, their hands not wandering, instead just gently holding and caressing each other, feeling their magic hum as it met, combined, and covered them in a blanket of warmth and comfort.

“You weren’t really going to hurt yourself, were you, Sans?” Papyrus asked quietly.

“Nah, couldn’t do it,” Sans hugged Papyrus tightly. “I won’t have you come home to a pile of dust.”

“Do you promise?”

“You know how I feel about promises.”

“Yes, I do.”

“I promise.”

Papyrus hugged him back tightly before resuming the soft kisses.

Sans would keep his promise, they both knew it.

**Author's Note:**

> Like what you read? Please check out my social media for more fun!  
> [ My Tumblr](https://soloshikigami.tumblr.com/)  
> [ My Twitter](https://twitter.com/SoloShikigami)


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